Founded in 1907, St. Joseph Parish is located on Capitol Hill in Seattle and originally served the second-generation, working-class Irish immigrants who had moved to the area. The parish has seen its share of changes in the church and in the neighborhood since the parish's original, small, wood-framed church was dedicated on April 21, 1907. St. Joseph School, the parish's grade school, was founded the same year by the Jesuits and the Holy Names Sisters.

The neighborhood and the parish community grew rapidly, and in 1930, the present day St. Joseph Church was dedicated and has since been declared a city landmark. The church now has more than 1,200 registered households.

St. Joseph Parish has a long history of linking parishioners to acts of mercy in the community and across the world. Parishioners are encouraged through parish liturgies, school, faith formation classes and programs to take their faith to those on the margins of society.

St. Joseph’s Community Outreach Programs supply the raw materials needed to serve. In the past they have funded and assisted with bringing water systems to rural El Salvador; providing food and shelter for homeless men in Seattle; collecting grocery items for local food banks; and helping with other outreach efforts that support area nonprofits.